TTSH full
saw this letter in the FORUM yesterday..Hospital full so dengue patient turned away
RECENTLY, I contracted dengue fever but was able to confirm it only on the fifth day of my illness.I was running a very high fever. On the first day when I was not feeling well, I visited the Yishun Polyclinic and was given medicine for the fever. The medicine didn't work and, by the second day, I started vomiting. My fever was perpetually at 39.3 deg C.A blood test was done at the polyclinic on the third day but no abnormalities were found. The doctor suspected dengue fever and asked me to return on the fifth day to do another round of blood test.By the fifth day, I was very weak, tired and giddy as I could not eat. After the blood test at the polyclinic, I was referred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) for immediate admission.From the polyclinic, I took a taxi to TTSH. At the A & E Department, I handed my referral letter to the counter staff, only to have the staff shove a piece of paper at me. Through blurred eyes, I made out the words, 'WE ARE FULL'.The staff then asked me whether I understood and he repeated loudly, 'We are full - go find another hospital!'I was shocked, unable to believe what I heard. Despite being very sick, running a high fever, weak, tired and giddy from low blood pressure and low blood count, I managed to get to the hospital all by myself, only to be told to look for another hospital.My request to him to source for another hospital for me was turned down.We can understand that, at times, hospitals may not have sufficient beds to accommodate patients but the staff should at least help to direct patients to alternative hospitals.Patients who are so sick that they cannot even think straight would welcome such help.
Justina Mak Mei Kuen (Ms)
well, i dun really know how true this account was, after all it is only one-sided. We really need to wait for the reply for TTSH personnel on what actually happened. As far as i know, as long as the hospital is declared full, it will decant all the new patients to all other hospitals within the cluster (ie: NHG; ie AH to be exact). So whether this incident really happened is hard to believe.
I trust the judgement of the A and E doctors. Reasons why this incident/accident happens can be:
1) Perhaps it really does not warrant admission (not all dengues need to be admitted; though from what Justina said she may need to be warded)
2) TTSH is full --> advised to go AH --> pt refused. Usually transport should be and will be arranged, so i dun really understand why Justina was not provided the transport.
3) TTSH is full --> advised to wait for vacancies --> pt refused.
Then again, i must really criticise TTSH for being always full. Is it really full? cos from what i understand from my colleagues, when class C ward is full, it may not mean that class B1 or B2 is full, so by right they can lodge in wards of other classes first.
Next, they always overflow the "typical" cases to other hospitals:
1) patients who cannot move and cannot protest (sometimes known as "prawns")
2) patients from IMH, nursing homes, destitute homes, homes for the aged, moral welfare homes, etc etc.
3) patients with no relatives
4) patients too difficult to manage, eg: unspecified giddiness for investigation, altered mental status..
TTSH should open more wards seriously. And if you really overflow patients, please also overflow the on-call doctors and nurses
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